Improvement in combined knife and fork



waited ,Sttte @met @Wine Letters Patent No. 96,134, dated October 26, 1869.

IMVPROVEMENT IN COMBINED KNIFE AND FORK.

4The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same `may be the better enabled to carve their food with one hand, and which 'implement I designate James McMorriess Independent Knife; and I do hereby declare that by referring to the accompanying, drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, a full, clear, and exact description of the same may be had lfrom the following specification.

Figure l represents a perspective view of my device as preferably constructed.

Figure 2 represents a perspective view o f a device,

. substantially the same, but with a colorable variation of arrangement, which by some may be preferred.v

I proceed to describe my invent-ion, as illustrated by Iig. 1.

A represents the handle of an ordinary knife or fork, from the 'socket B of which extends the shank C, curved at its. extremity' D, and bearing in a cleft, E, a

circular blade or knife, F, revolving on a screw-pivot,

G, removable, for the purpose of withdrawing the knife F, for. cleaning or sharpening.

The thickness of the shankE is less than the width of the handle-socket B, from which it extends, thus leaving the shoulder' H, in which js a cleft, I. f

Inserted in1 this cleft I, and revolving as a hinge on a. removable screw-pivot, K, 'is the stem L of a shank, M, having at its extremitya two-tined fork, as usually made. When the fork-shank M and the blade-shank C are pressed together, the extremity N of the fork coincides with the outer edge ofthe blade F.

To use my device, I grasp the handleA and insert the tines Nin the food to be out, then extending a finger down the back ofthe shank B, I` thus press it toward the fork M, held stationary, and so `holding the food to be cut until the blade'F shall passbetwee'n the tines N, thus cutting the-food.

. By referring to iig. 2,'it will be obvious that a modication of my device may be made, by'xing the re` volving blade F in a shank, 0,4and aixing to the side of the handle-sooketB, from which it extends, on

screw-pivot, P, perpendicular, to the plane lin which re volves the blade F, a fork, R, withits tines S at a dis-A tance i'orn the track of the blade F, corresponding with-the width which it is desired to cut'thefood, when, by grasping the handle A, and placing thetines S, of the fork R, in the food to be cut, the blade F may, by asimple movement of the shank -`O, operated by the handle A, be made to pass alongside the tines S S in a plane parallel with the tines, instead of perpendicular to them, as iu fig. l. Y

4 Claim.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to securel by Letters Patent of the United States, is

Thel arrangement of thecircular revolving blade F, operated toward the hinged fork-shank M, of g. 1, and the arrangement of the circular revolvingrblade F, operated parallel with or alongside the pivotedfork R, of iig. 2, substantiallyas figured and described, and

for the purposes set forth.

JAMES MCMORRIES.

Witnesses: l

GEO. C. BROWN, H. C. WoeTHING'roN. 

